The invention relates to apparatus for cooling or chilling foodstuffs, particularly drinks in containers; examples being beers, soft drinks, cordials in cans or bottles; and the like.
It is one object of the invention to provide a chiller cabinet either as original equipment or as a retrofit in which the food containers spend a prolonged time in the coldest region of the cabinet and are retrieved in succession and also that provides simple means for moving containers along a flow path to be presented to the user.
In one aspect the invention provides a cooler cabinet having an opening at the front to provide access to the interior of the cabinet, cooling means arranged so that the coldest part of the cabinet is towards the rear, the cabinet comprising at least one shelf having spaced apart vertical walls which together define a flow path having an inlet and an outlet, the outlet being at the front of the cabinet so that food containers to be cooled can be retrieved in succession, the flow path being arranged such that containers pass through the rear of the cabinet before they reach the outlet. It will be noted that the containers are disposed vertically, i.e. upright.
In another aspect the invention provides a cooler cabinet having an opening at the front to provide access to the interior of the cabinet, vertically spaced walls being present within the cabinet to define at least one flow path for containers to be cooled; the flow path having an inlet and an outlet, which is at the front of the cabinet; the flow path being shaped to prolong the period for which the containers are in the cabinet and to cause them to reach the outlet in succession; the floor of the flow path having at least one downwardly inclined portion and friction reducing means along at least part of its floor.
The flow path is preferably arranged so that the containers are taken in succession to the colder regions of the cabinet which typically will be at the rear.
Preferably individual flow channels are arranged in stacks side by side to form an array.
In one preferred aspect, the invention provides a cooler cabinet as defined wherein the floor of the shelf is shaped to encourage movement of the containers towards the outlet. While the floor may be shaped in different ways to encourage forward movement, it is preferred to incline a length portion of the floor, downwardly forward. The floor may have a uniform inclination or it may be made up of one or more length portions each inclined at a different angle.
In another preferred feature means are present to prevent removal of the last loaded container from the inlet of the flow path. While the means may take a variety of forms, e.g. a piston, pressurised air flow or the like, it is preferred to provide a one way gate. The gate may be spring biased and may have one or a pair of doors hinged at the side or from above or from below.
In another preferred feature means are present to direct containers around a curvature in the flow path. The means for moving the containers in the defined way may take a variety of forms. In one preferred embodiment the means is a turntable. This may be passive or powered; means may be present to hold each container, and to cause it to emerge on its travel towards the outlet with a predetermined face of the container facing forward.
In preferred embodiments the friction reducing means (where present) are rollers or raised sections of the walls and/or floor to reduce contact area and therefore frictional resistance to sliding.
In a preferred feature the vertically spaced apart walls have at least one rail arranged to reduce friction between the side of the containers and the rail as the containers move along the flow path. Rollers may be arranged to rotate about a vertical axis along a portion of the wall defining the guide path.
The outlet portion of the flow path may have at least one cross strap positioned at the outlet.
The invention includes the method of cooling and dispensing the cooled containers.